Descendants of Captain Benjamin Chapman
These are my research notes on preparing a list of the 7 generations of descendants of Captain Benjamin Chapman upto the time of the 1880 US Census. Background Benjamin Chapman was a captain in the armies of Cromwell that fought in the English Civil War. He was awared with the estate of Killua Castle in Ireland. One line of his family were barons of Killua Castle. One very prominent descendant here was T.E. Lawrence, AKA Lawrence of Arabia. But his second son, Thomas, immigrated to New England and started a great posterity there. Several of these descendants fought against the British in the American Revolutionary War. Legends and Myths It had been rumored that Johnny Appleseed (Chapman) was of this American family line, but that is not true. He is a descendant of early New England immigrant Edward Chapman. Killua Castle - Westmeath County, Ireland Killua Castle is the ancestral home of the Chapman Family who were granted the lands around Killua in 1667 as payment for services during the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland. The Chapman Family can count many distinguished members of both the Irish and British Parliaments among its members and has important historical connections with Sir Walter Raleigh and Lawrence of Arabia, who was the illegitimate son of William Chapman of South Hill (near Delvin). The original castle/house at Killua was probably demolished when the present edifice was constructed c.1780 by Sir Benjamin Chapman. It is believed that the renowned architect Thomas Cooley (1740-1784) may have been responsible for the design of the new classical residence at Killua, c.1780. Killua Castle was originally the property of the Knights Hospitalliers of St. John before its confiscation of Sir Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil Wars. 200 Meters from the castle is the Raleigh Obelisk - The obelisk marks the position where Sir Walter Raleigh planted some of the first potatoes that he imported to Ireland in the early 1600s. Antoine Parmentier who promoted the cultivation of potatoes for human consumption and the Spanish conquistadores who first imported them from South America. The obelisk erected by Sir Thomas Chapman in 1810, marks the Raleigh contribution to Ireland in providing stable nourishment to the farming/working class land tenants and is the supposed spot where the first potatoes were planted. *http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WM&regno=15306023 *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killua_Castle *http://reocities.com/Athens/delphi/7661/FOOT15.html *http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2009/1031/1224257721312.html - 2009-Oct-31 : Irish Times reports update on Killua Castle, which has quite the local reputation as a haunted house. *http://www.telstudies.org.uk/telstudies_org_uk/legacy2/npg_catalogue/part1/002.htm - TE Lawrence Studies Website - Much family history here. Chapman Family Research Task List * (1) Build Chart from top to bottom * (2) Clean up NFS from bottom to top * (X) Research or NFS Complete. * NFS Goal - add child, spouse and children and spouse's family thru 7th gen * 7th Gen Goal - identify children only (do not push for family detail beyond the US Census.) * JAN2010 - a) Research In-laws - Arthur Vinsittart Family (1775) * JAN2010 - b) Research In-Laws - many links to Featherstone Family from Chapman Baronets * JAN2010 - c) Update Family Tree Chart Early Chapman Family History This family appears to have been of ancient extraction and to have long resided in and near the town of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. The first Chapmans to remove to Ireland (in the days of the Irish Rebellion), were two brothers, John and William Chapman. They were supported by Sir Walter Raleigh (who was their cousin maternal-german and early resident of Killua Castle) in procuring a sizeable tract of land in the County of Kerry. After the fall of their patron, the Chapmans were olbiged to sell the property for a noteworthy sum of 26,400 pounds to the first Earl of Cork. John died 8 years after that alienation and William died twelve years after that. William was survived by the one son, Captain Benjamin Chapman. *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Boyle,_1st_Earl_of_Cork Generations 1-3 CODE: YELLOW - Place Holder / MAGENTA - Research Stalled / GREEN - Completed Listing for Individual / Spouse & Inlaws GEN# Family Spouse Parent Children Comments WIKI NFS 1st Generation #101 [[Benjamin Chapman (1621-)|'Benjamin Chapman (b1621)']] Anne Parkinson William Chapman 201-204 Patriarch to the Chapman Baronets of Killua Castle in County Westmeath, Ireland. -- -- 2nd Generation #201 Thomas Chapman (1649-1687) Sarah Merrick 101 301 Immigrant to New England - - #202 William Chapman (1647-1734) Wife 101 302 Knight of Killua Castle, Westmeath, Ireland - - 3rd Generation #301 Thomas Chapman (1683-1758) Ann Kettell 201 C Res: New England RES NFS #302 Benjamin Chapman (d1779) Anne Tighe 202 4201-4205 Knight of Killua Castle, Westmeath, Ireland Parents to 1st & 2nd Barons of Killua Castle RES NFS 4th Generation GEN# Family - New England Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #4001 Thomas Chapman (1707-1793) Mary Throope 301 ... Wife is of Scrope Family Royal Lineage RES NFS GEN# Family - Killua Castle Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #4201 Sir Benjamin Chapman (1754-1810) 1st Baronet of Killua Castle Anne Lowther 302 none? Res: Killua Castle, Ireland Minister of Parliament RES NFS #4202 Sir Thomas Chapman (1756-1837) 2nd Baronet of Killua Castle Margaret Fetherstonhaugh 302 5210-5203 Res: Killua Castle, Ireland RES NFS #4203 Unknown Son? 302 ... Res: Killua Castle, Ireland RES NFS #4204 Unknown Daughter #1? 302 ... Res: Killua Castle, Ireland RES NFS #4205 Unknown Daughter #2? 302 ... Res: Killua Castle, Ireland RES NFS 5th Generation GEN# Family - New England Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #5001 Throop Chapman (1734-1794) Deborah Wilson 4001 ... Private in American Revolutionary War GEN# Family - Killua Castle Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #5201 Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman (1808-1853) ' 3rd Baronet of Killua Castle 4202 n/a Sheriff of County Westmeath in 1841 Member of Parliament for Westmeath (1831-1844) Died at sea near Australia - never married #5202 'Sir Benjamin James Chapman (1810-1888) ' 4th Baronet of Killua Castle Maria Featherstonhaugh 4202 6801-6804 5th BT & 6th BT Member of Parliament for Westmeath (1841-1847) #5203 'William Chapman (1811-1889) Martha Louisa Vansittart 4202 (4) High Sheriff of Westmouth County in Ireland 6th Generation GEN# Family - America Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #6001 Benjamin Chapman (1741-1843) Sybil Amidon 5001 .. Convert to Mormon Church - Died in Nauvoo IL GEN# Family - Killua Castle Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #6801 Caroline Margaret Chapman Montagu Chapman 5202 .. Married her cousin - the 5th Chapman Baronet of Killua Castle #6802 Major William Eden Chapman (1844-1870) 5202 .. Office in 15th Hussars - Died at age 25 - never married #6803 Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman (1846-1919) AKA: Thomas Robert Lawrence 7th Chapman Baronet of Killua Castle 1) Boyd 2) Lawrence 5202 77001-77014 T.E. Lawrence Line Sir Thomas adopted the surname of his unmarried partner. Passed name to all children. Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for County Westmeath. Title of Baronet became Extinct upon his death #6804 Francis Vansittart Chapman (1850-1915) 5202 .. RES: South Hill, Delvin, Westmeath, Ireland (1913) High Sheriff of County Westmeath in 1891. He held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for County Westmeath. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of County Westmeath. He died unmarried. 7th Generation GEN# Family - Manti, Utah Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #70001 Welcome Chapman (1805-1893) Susan Amelia Risley 6001 .. 1st President of Manti Stake - LDS Church. Wife of de Risley Family Royal Lineage/ GEN# Family - Westmeath, Ireland Spouse Parent Children Comments RES NFS #77001 Mabel Cecile Chapman wife 6803-1 .. #77002 Evan Jane Louisa Chapman (b1874) wife 6803-1 .. #77003 Rose Isabel Chapman (b1878) wife 6803-1 .. #77004 Florence Lina Chapman (b1880) wife 6803-1 .. #77011 Montague Robert Lawrence (1885-1971) wife 6803-2 .. #77012 Lt.Col. Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935) AKA: Lawrence of Arabia 6803-2 .. #77013 William George Lawrence (1889-1915) wife 6803-2 .. #77014 Frank Helier Lawrence (1893-1915) wife 6803-2 .. #77014 Arnold Walter Lawrence (1900-1991) Barbara Thompson 6803-2 .. Archealogist and Art Historian References * Wikipedia - Benjamin Chapman * http://yagitani.jpn.cx/tel/tpc_en11.htm - The Family Tree of T.E. Lawrence * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapman_Baronets - Chapman Baronets of Killua Castle * http://thepeerage.com/p21789.htm#i217889 - Peerage Listings for Capt Benjamin Chapman Notable Descendants See Wikipedia Links: * T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") - illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Chapman, 7th Baronet * Welcome Chapman - LDS Church Leader in Manti Utah.